51 days left until application deadline…

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“How did it get so late so soon?” That’s not me grumbling about another almost-dark Swedish afternoon… It’s actually a quote by somebody called Dr. Seuss, the author of Green Eggs and Ham. Well, irrespective of whether you heard of this guy Seuss or whether you are likely to grouch that 3 pm is way too early for nightfall, I’d say the quote is profound. It’s also the way every student feels some of the time: “How did it get so late so soon?”

Enough philosophy for the intro, the morale is simple: deadlines usually come sooner than you expect. That’s why I thought I’d take a chance to put up a warning sign for you: the admissions application deadline is coming soon, in 51 days actually. There is one deadline, as the application process for all Swedish Universities is centralized and run by UniversityAdmissions.se.

Now, take your calendar and draw a big fat circle around this date: January 15th 2015 – that’s the last day you can submit your application for studies in Sweden. Next, you can check the official timeline and checklist from UniversityAdmissions.se. Finally, go to the home page of your chosen University, and check their requirements. The important thing is, you have to comply with all the requirements (those by UniversityAdmissions.se and those by your University) by January 15th 2015.

In terms of application info, this link here is a lot more helpful than me, since I only applied to one University (and in fact only one Program) in Sweden – Stockholm School of Economics. But if you happen to be applying for MSc in Finance at SSE, here’re some tips.

1. Is it too late, if I started looking at it just now, and have nothing ready yet?

It’s not too late. But you have to hurry up. Preparing documents (transcripts, motivation letters, CVs etc.) usually takes just a few days, but you have to take TOEFL /IELTS and GMAT/GRE before January 15th. These are standardized tests, and they take the majority of time you’ll need to prepare for your application.

Register for GMAT/GRE and TOEFL/IELTS (you don’t need TOEFL/IELTS if your BSc program was taught entirely in English or if you come from an English-speaking country).

Note that the slots in test centers tend to fill up quickly, so I’d recommend registering for the test at least 1.5 months before you plan to take it. Make sure you take both tests by January 15th. You report your scores electronically from the test centers. See instructions and program codes here.

Submit all your documents and test scores via SSE application platform by January 15th. Check the platform regularly, as you might get some messages regarding the completeness of your application or additional documents required.

3.Are there any scholarships?

Yes, there are two kinds of those: Swedish Institute Scholarships and SSE Scholarships. You have to check the requirements separately. The general rule is, you apply for those after submitting your University application, but deadlines vary.

Now, go right ahead and APPLY! You don’t have the time to keep wondering “how it got so late so soon…”